Torture

  • Repeated Torture Paralyses Mr. Zhang Jinku, Prison Authorities Deny Maltreatment and Threaten Family

    Since he was sent to Hulan Prison in Heilongjiang Province to serve a five-year sentence in 2013, Mr. Zhang Jinku has been subjected to repeated torture that has left him paralysed. His condition continues to deteriorate. Prison authorities have denied any maltreatment and threatened his family not to say anything publicly about his situation.
  • Imprisoned Man Dies Days Before the Chinese New Year

    The Chinese New Year is upon us, but one family from Lulong County, Hebei Province won't be able to enjoy the holidays. Their loved one, Mr. Li Kai, died on January 29th, 2016, two weeks after he suffered a brain haemorrhage while imprisoned for refusing to give up his belief in Falun Gong.
  • Man Dies 17 Hours after Police Surround His House and Shut Off Utilities

    A 68-year-old man from Shanghai died 17 hours after police put his house under siege and shut off his water and electricity. A group of officers descended upon Mr. Li Yuqin's house on January 19th and demanded to go inside to arrest his daughter and son-in-law, presumably for a lawsuit the young couple had filed six months ago against former Chinese dictator Jiang Zemin. Mr. Li's wife Mrs. Li Wenjuan, their daughter Ms. Li Li, and her husband Mr. Hou Yagang are Falun Gong practitioners. The trio had been repeatedly arrested and detained for refusing to renounce their faith since Jiang launched the persecution of Falun Gong in 1999.
  • Tianjin Man, 84, Dies One Month After His Arrest for Suing Former Chinese Dictator

    An 84-year-old man from Hexi District, Tianjin died one month after he was briefly detained for filing a lawsuit against Jiang Zemin and holding the former Chinese dictator responsible for initiating the persecution of Falun Gong. Mr. Zhang Detang had always enjoyed good health since he began the practice of Falun Gong, but his health quickly declined following his arrest and 5-hour detention on December 4th, 2015. Overwhelmed by the frequent police visits and threats, Mr. Zhang's health continued to deteriorate. He passed away on January 4th this year.
  • Henan Man, 61, Dies After Lengthy Imprisonment and Brutal Torture Caused Irreparable Damage to His Health

    Mr. Yang Zhi from Dancheng County, Henan Province, died on January 4th, 2016, two years after his release from an 11-year imprisonment. He was 61. Just seven months before his passing, Mr. Yang filed a criminal complaint against Jiang Zemin, holding the former Chinese dictator responsible for his repeated arrests and lengthy imprisonment. Years of persecution and abuse had wreaked havoc on Mr. Yang's health.
  • Shandong Woman Dies Under Suspicious Circumstances; Police Declare Death Natural and Have Her Body Forcibly Cremated

    Ten weeks after 45-year-old Ms. Sun Xiuju died under suspicious circumstances in a detention centre, the local police moved her body from the morgue without her family's knowledge and had it cremated a few hours later. Ms. Sun was arrested on October 22nd, 2015 after filing a lawsuit against former Chinese dictator Jiang Zemin for initiating the persecution of Falun Gong. The day before her scheduled release, she was summoned to the guards' office of Wucheng County Detention Centre to sign some papers. Several witnesses later confirmed that Ms. Sun, a very healthy woman, suddenly displayed symptoms of a stroke that evening. She died at 8 o'clock the very next morning on November 4th, 2015.
  • Eight Jilin Residents Sent to Brainwashing Facility, One Remains Detained

    As the year of 2015 was winding down, authorities in Tonghua, Jilin Province sent eight local residents to Xishan Brainwashing Centre in an attempt to force them to give up their belief in Falun Gong. While seven of the arrested were released by late December, Ms. Zhao Guihua was later transferred to a detention centre, where she remains at the time of writing.
  • Elderly Ms. Wu Qiu'e Dies after Police Threaten to Punish Her for Suing Former Chinese Dictator

    Ms. Wu Qiu'e lost consciousness shortly after a group of policemen broke into her home to serve a notice threatening to punish her for filing a criminal complaint against former Chinese dictator Jiang Zemin. The 80-year-old woman from Daxing'anling, Heilongjiang Province died days later. Ms. Wu filed a lawsuit in July 2015, accusing Jiang of initiating the persecution of Falun Gong, a meditation practice that restored her health and gave her a happy life. Her family suspects her sudden death was a result of the police threat, as she had been so healthy over the years that she lived alone comfortably in a sixth-floor apartment.
  • Woman Who Dared to Speak Publicly About the Persecution of Falun Gong Dies from Abuses Suffered in Prison

    Ms. Peng Wenxiu died on December 24th, 2015, while imprisoned for publicly distributing information about the persecution of Falun Gong. She was around 60 years old. Ms. Peng was arrested on June 12th, 2014 and later sentenced to four years. While held at Baiyun District Women's Prison, she was subjected to various forms of abuse. According to her family, she had lost almost all her teeth within just one year of imprisonment. Unable to eat, she became very weak, yet the guards still tortured her on a regular basis.
  • Woman, 63, Dies after Abuse and Forced Drug Injections Wreaked Havoc on Her Health

    Sixty-three-year-old Ms. Li Jili from Wuhan City, Hubei Province was arrested a total of five times over the years and suffered various forms of abuse. During her last detention in 2013, she was injected with unknown drugs that caused headaches, memory problems, and blurred vision. Upon her release, she was never able to recover from complications arising from being injected with the harmful drugs. The constant pressure for her to give up Falun Gong further aggravated her suffering. She passed away on December 28th, 2015.
  • Imprisoned Practitioner Forced to Eat and Drink from Toilet Bowl at Jilin Women's Prison

    For many days in a row, Ms. Zhang Yan was ordered to eat in a toilet of Jilin Women's Prison, where she is serving a four-year sentence for refusing to give up Falun Gong, a spiritual practice being persecuted by the Chinese communist regime. At mealtime, her tormentors tossed a sponge cake into the toilet bowl and scattered some pickled vegetables on the floor of the toilet. They watched Ms. Zhang scoop the cake up and pick up the vegetables with her bare hands. She would starve if she refused to eat the food.
  • Mr. Zhang Zhishui Dies Trying to Avoid Arrest

    Mr. Zhang Zhishui fell from a five-story building and died while trying to escape from police in Qinhuangdao City on November 18th. Circumstantial details are unknown at this time. The 42-year-old resident of Cangzhou City, Hebei Province had been released only two years ago after spending 11 years in prison for practising Falun Gong. In June of this year, he filed a criminal complaint against Jiang Zemin, holding the former head of the Chinese Communist Party responsible for his 11-year imprisonment and preceding 3-year term in a forced labour camp.
  • Zhang Jinku in Critical Condition from Torture, Family Renews Call for His Release

    Mr. Zhang Jinku has been tortured nearly to death multiple times because he refuses to give up his faith in Falun Gong. He is now serving a five year prison sentence that he was given following his latest arrest in 2013. Prison authorities refuse to grant him medical parole or provide proper in-house treatment despite repeated requests. His mother, wife, and daughter are renewing call for his immediate release.
  • Torture in Jilin Province Women's Prison

    "I am a Falun Gong practitioner from Changchun City. I was arrested on September 2nd, 2011, and sentenced to seven years in prison for practising Falun Gong. I have been beaten and tortured in many ways, such as “Tying with Ropes” and “Flying an Airplane.” After I went on a hunger strike to protest the inhuman treatment, I was brutally force-fed. It choked me once, and I almost died. They force-fed me twice per day for six months, which damaged the membranes of my nasal cavities and stomach. It resulted in a gastrointestinal disorder, organ failure, and constipation."
  • Traumatised Husband Dies, Wife Arrested and Tortured

    Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Zhang Shufen recounts her ordeal: "I was sent to Beijing Women’s Forced Labour Camp in 2008 for two years because I am a Falun Gong practitioner. My husband was left on his own and had a stroke. When I returned home in March 2010, he had another stroke and was no longer able to take care of himself. When practitioners started filing lawsuits against Jiang Zemin [former leader of China and instigator of the persecution], my husband wanted to participate because he had personally suffered as a result of the persecution when I was arrested and detained. However, before he was able to, he died suddenly."